Artificial limb.



W. M. EISEN.

ARTIFICIAL LIMB.

APPLICATION FILED APR.25.1916.

Patented J an. 9, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

w. M. EISEN.

.ARTIFICIAL LIMB.

APPLICATION FIL EO APR. 25, I916.

mined Jan. 9,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. M. EISEN.

ARTIFICIAL LIMB.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. 1916.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- WILLIAM EISEN, OF NEW YORK,1\T. Y., ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'IO ADJUSTABLE ARTIFICIAL LIM-B COMFANY, INCQOF NEW YORK, 1\T. Y., A' COEBOIQA- TION NEW YORK.

nn'rIrIcIAL IMB.

Application filed. April 25, 1916. Serial No. 93,374.

ject being to provide the leg with a vertically adjustable ankle and, thigh. The object of providing a vertically adjustable ankle and thigh is to adapt the leg to be lengthened or shortened to suit requirements, a further advantage being that the el s can he u ed for pe sons o ifferent heights by adjusting. the ankle or foot portion and thigh-piece relatively to the stump-socket. r

The object of providing an adjustable stumpssocket is to adapt the said socket to stumps of different sizes.

The foregoing statements are merely out i e of the j ts an ad ant s f my invention, a more particular description of W ich l f llow I will. o proceed to d scr m inv ntion in detail, the essential features of which will be summarized in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of an artificial leg embodying my improvements; 2 is a p pl ew of my PrQ- sd m -s ek r 3 is an enlarged fragmentarysect onal View of the lower end of the stump-socket arranged for amputations below the knee Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly 1n section, of the foot portion of the leg, the lower end of the stump-socket beingalsolshown; F g. 5 is a front View, partly in section, of the foot portion of the leg; Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating the locking mechanism for adjustably securing the foot and socket portions of the leg to gther; Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional plan view of the stump-socket, the section being taken on a line 7 7 in 1; Fig. 8 is a side view of my improved stump- .socket arranged for an amputation above the knee; Fig. '9 is a similar view of the socket Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9,

shown as diametrically adjusted; and Fig. 10 is. a side view, partly in section, of the foot portion of the leg, showing a modified form of adjustable connection. I

As herein illustrated my improved artificial'leg consists of a stump-socket 1 and a foot portion 2, which are held in operative relationship by side braces 3 and A. My improved socket is adapted both for amputations below theknee and above the knee. When used for an amputation below the knee, the socket will be used in combination with a foot, as shownin Fig.1. Foran amputation above the knee, the socket will carry side braces 5 (o,ne only being shown in Fig, 8) which Will be connectedat 6 to the side braces of a lower leg section, which mayor may not beprovidedwith an adjustable foot portion, suchas 2. The socket, as illustrated in Fig. 8, will be referred to ater. i

As can .be seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the socket 1 consists of a plurality of members 7 and 8 which are connected at 9 by an adjustable connection of a nattire topermit the members 7 and 8 to be movedtoward or away from each other to increase or decrease the internal diain liel' of the socket. Eachmemher 7 and 8 is provided'with bands 10,10 and 11, 11 respectively,- each band 11 carrying a slotted plate 12 which'overlaps its corresponding band lOon the member 7, asetscrew 13 serving to bind the band-members together. The socket-member 7 is further provided with plates 14Q having a slot 15 throngh which threaded studs 16, carried by V the section? pass (see Fig. 2). Thestud s 16 also pass through the side braces 3 and 4, as

shown, nuts .17 servingt0 bind the braces and socket together. I I

To increase or decrease the diameter of the socket 1 for any desired purpose, for

.instance to accommodate or fit a shrunken stump (it being .well known that stumps shrink after an amputation) the set screws 13 will be loosened, and the member .8 moved toward or away from the member 7, after which the set screws will be tightened up. After the mcmberS has been adjusted or moved the center line of the socket will change, hence the socket as a whole will have"to be movedtothe right or left to bring its center line over the center line of the ankle 18. To shift the socket as whole, the nuts 17 will be'loosened, whereupon the socket can be moved laterally. After the adjustment of the socket, the nuts w1ll be set up to hold the stump and braces firmly together.

To increase or decrease the length of the leg, I provide the foot 2 with racks 19 (one only being shown, Figs. 1 and 6) having teeth 20 which are engaged by teeth 21 carried by the braces 3 and a. The braces 3 and 4.- are provided with slots 22, 23, through which set screws 24 pass and engage threaded openings 25 in the racks 20. Nuts 26 serve to keep the teeth 20 and 21 in engagement. To decrease or increase the length of the leg, the nuts 26 will be loosened sufficiently to allow the teeth 20 and 21 to be separated, after which the foot 2 can be moved up or down. After the foot has been adjusted, the nuts 26 will be set up to hold the teeth 20 and 21 in engagement.

As I do not wish to depend entirely upon the side braces 3 and 4: to maintain the stump and foot portions together or in alinement, I provide a supporting post 27 which is carried by the stump-socket and which slidably engages an opening or guideway 28 in the foot 2. In order that the post 27 will not interfere with the adjustablity of the stump-socket members, I provide a plate or bracket 29 (Fig. 3) which is secured at 30 to the socket-member 7, but not to the socket-member 8. The post 27 may be integral with the plate 29, or secured to it. The plate 29 and post 27 may be made of aluminum or other light material. The post 27 will take the strain ofi the braces 3 and 4, and thus provide a rigid structure. Iprefer to make the post-supporting plate 29 cup-shaped in order that the end of the stump will not come in contact therewith, as some stumps always remain tender.

For an amputation above the knee, the socket 1 will carry the braces 5 referred to, which are secured to the member 7. To adjust the lower leg-member with respect to the upper stump, the braces 5 will be provided with slots 31 and 32 through which the threaded studs 16 will pass, the nuts 17 serving to hold the said braces and socket 1 together. The socket l is capable of being adjusted laterally, for an amputation above the knee, the same as described for an amputation below the knee and for the same purpose, and can be adjusted diametrically in the same manner as described for an amputation below the knee. Fig. 9 illustrates the socket as having been increased in diameter.

Fig. 10 illustrates a modified form of foot adjusting mechanism. In this form I provide the post 27 with a rack 33 having teeth 34 to be engaged by teeth 35 carried by a block 36 removably secured by a set-screw 37 in a socket 38 in the ankle-portion 18 of the foot 2. To adjust the foot 2, the block 36 will be moved out of engagement with the rack 33, after the screw 37 has been removed. When the foot has been adjusted the block 36 will be again caused to engage the rack and held in such engagement by the set-screw 37.

The space between the socket-sections may be bridged or covered by a metal or leather tongue 39, which also acts to protect the flesh at this point (see Fig. 2).

Whenever in the foregoing specification and appended claims, I use the term leg, it is to be understood that any other limb is to be included, as my improvements are also adaptable for use in connection with artificial arms, etc.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an artificial-leg, a Stump-socketmember, a foot-member, braces carried by said socket adjustably secured to said foot member, and an auxiliary support connected at one end to said socket-member and slidably engaging said foot-member at its opposite end.

2. In an artificial-leg, a stump-socketmember, a foot-member, racks carried by said foot-member, braces carried by said socket-member, teeth carried by said braces to engage the teeth in corresponding racks, and releasable means to keep the teeth on said racks and braces in engagement.

3. In an artificial-leg, a stump-socketmember, a foot-member, racks carried by said foot-member, braces carried by said socket-member, teeth carried by said braces to engage the teeth in corresponding racks, releasable means to keep the teeth on said racks and braces in engagement, and an auxiliary support connecting said foot-member and socket-member.

4. In an artificial leg, a stump-socketmember, a socket-plate carried thereby, a foot-member, directly connected at its upper end to said plate and having a direct slidable connection with the foot-member at its opposite end.

5. A stump-socket for artificial-legs, consisting of a plurality of separable spaced apart members, means to connect said members arranged to permit of the diametrical adjustment of said members, one of said members being provided with transversely disposed slots for the passage of bolts to engage leg-braces and a post-supporting plate, connected to one of said members.

6. In an artificial leg, a foot-member, a tump-socket-member, side-braces connectmg said members, and means to adjust the stump-socket-member relatively to the footmember and independently of any movement of the side-braces.

7. A stump-socket for artificial-legs, consisting of aplurality of separable members,

and a slidable post rigidly and slotted plates, each secured at one end thereof to one of said members, screws passing through the slots and engaging the other socket-member, one of said socket-members being provided with laterally disposed slots, leg braces for said socket having Vertically disposed slots, and securing bolts passing through the slots in the socket-member and the slots in the leg-braces.

8. In an artificial-leg, a stump-socketmember, a foot-member slidably connected thereto, means for adjusting the socket diametrically, and means to shift the center of the socket with respect to the foot-member after the diameter of the socket has been changed. V

9. In a stump-socket for artificial-legs,

comprising adjustably connected socketmembers, a plate located at the bottom of the socket-members but secured to only one of said members, and a supporting-post carried by the plate.

10. In combination With an artificial-leg, a foot-member, a supporting-post slidably connected to said foot-member for vertical adjustment thereon, and means to lock the foot-member and supporting-post in adjusted positions.

Signed at New York city, N. Y. this 20 day of April, 1916.

WILLIAM M. EISEN. Witnesses: V

C. W. SPEED,

ALBERT BRUNNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D G. 

